Gabe Newell: Yes, We're Still Working on Half-Life 2: Episode 3

[John Funk]

Gabe Newell: Yes, We're Still Working on Half-Life 2: Episode 3

No need to start pushing your Duke Nukem Forever alarms just yet: Valve is still working on Half-Life 2: Episode 3, they're just being ... slow about it. Oh, and it won't be for the PS3.

[gametrailers=53917]

Last night's episode of information and goodies for Left 4 Dead fans [http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/gametrailers-tv/67?ep=67], but what about people who are interested in Valve's other stuff?

GTTV host Geoff Keighley asked fans to send him question for Valve CEO Gabe Newell via Twitter, and one disgruntled fan called the developer out on the long development cycle of the final Half-Life 2 episode: "Are you still even working on Half-Life 2: Episode 3? When can we micro-invest in it through Steam so it will actually come out?"

Laughing, Newell deflected the question, saying that he had nothing to say at the moment about Episode 3, but that Valve would let people know when it did. When Keighley pressed to see if it was still under development, though, Newell (sort of) caved: "Yes, of course we're still doing it."

Speaking of sequels, he then said that fans should send him a list of which sequel they'd like to see more: Counterstrike 2 or Portal 2 - personally, Newell said he'd be more interested in Portal 2, but either way, he's going to have one full inbox.

Another Twitter question wondered what exactly Gabe & Company had against the PS3: "Why are you so vocal against the PS3 when other companies just stay quiet and do what they do?" Newell admitted that it was partly out of frustration, since Valve felt that it had done the worst job supporting its customers on Sony's console, and didn't have the capability to deliver them content like they could on the 360 or PC.

Still, when asked if Valve was working on the PS3 in an attempt to get better at programming for it, Newell's response was fairly clear: "No. Not in any real way."

So, when Half-Life 2: Episode 3 does eventually come out after Valve is done learning ASL [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93744-Valve-To-Add-Sign-Language-To-Episode-3], it probably won't be on the PS3. Gee, you'd almost think Gabe Newell has a grudge against the console or something.

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[Casual Shinji]

Maybe Ken Katuragi stole his girlfriend back in high school.

 

[Trivun]

So, when Half-Life 2: Episode 3 does eventually come out after Valve is done learning ASL [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93744-Valve-To-Add-Sign-Language-To-Episode-3], it probably won't be on the PS3. Gee, you'd almost think Gabe Newell has a grudge against the console or something.

HAH! As if. No-one can have a grudge against the PS3. It's so streamlined and easy to program for, after all...

Anyway, back in the real world. People seem to forget that there are at least two development teams working within Valve, they don't commit the entire staff of the company to one game, that would be silly and Valve have enough staff to work on both games. So why can't all the L4D haters who are desperate to see more Half-Life realise that the development of L4D has absolutely no effect on the time it's taking Valve to develop Episode 3? Sometimes, I despair. I really do.

 

[Merteg]

Can't wait 'til the new Half Life!

I personally share Newell's opinion of the PS3.

Hopefully when they say "deliver content" to the X-Box, they're planning on releasing updates for the X-Box version of Team Fortress 2.

 

[zauxz]

Its better be longer then ep 1 and ep 2 combined.

 

[ghalkhsdkssakgh]

Personally, I'd prefer a sequal to Portal then one to counter strike. I much prefer more brilliant story, humour and puzzles than just a few different ways to shoot terrorists.

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

that is good,I guess...
I don't play half-life,but at least now there we be no chance of wheres my game whiners.

this makes me feel good.

 

[Nargleblarg]

I'm just waiting for the first person that cries because it's not on ps3....I don't think we'll find one that does.

 

[BlueInkAlchemist]

What about Team Fortress 2 updates on the consoles? What about them, Gabe?

 

[TotallyFake]

What about Team Fortress 2 updates on the consoles? What about them, Gabe?

They've announced somewhere that they're gonna wait til all the class updates are done (I guess another 6 months giving their current rate) and then release them on a disc all in one go. Some weird memory architecture on the 360 stops them making TF2 any bigger (as it's allready as big as it can get) and MicroSoft are being a pain about free updates.

 

[Cliff_m85]

You know what......they have one more year. That's all I'll give them. If it's not out my 9/9/2010 I'm completely done investing money into them. This is just insane, to be waiting this long for not a game but an EPISODE for a game. So yeah, I'm not buying a goddamn thing from them until HL2:E3 comes out, and if it's not out in a year I'm completely done with them.


I'll just read some crappy fan-fiction account of what happens and that'll have to do.

 

[Hybridwolf]

So Valve hate PS3, can't blame them. Hard to make the games for it, barely any difference (as far as I can tell) compared to 360, are there any game developers that like the PS3?

OT: least half-life isn't as bad as starcraft 2......right?

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

Well, that's very good news. Personally, I think the game would turn out a lot better if Valve gets all the time it needs to continue polishing and refining it. Nobody wants a repeat of the Alone in the Dark incident.

 

[Jumplion]

So Valve hate PS3, can't blame them. Hard to make the games for it, barely any difference (as far as I can tell) compared to 360, are there any game developers that like the PS3?

All 1st Party developers, predictably. Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Sucker Punch, Guerrilla Games, ect... all say that the PS3 gives them unprecedented freedom with programing. And other companies, Konami, Capcom, EA, Ubisoft, ect... have said similar things.

I'll say what I always say to VALVe in this situation, put up or shut up. I don't blame them for having trouble with the PS3, they're a computer company, when have they ever specified in consoles? They hardly support the 360 as they claim to, they've only had like, what, one update for the Orange Box since it was released. Same with PS3 version of Orange Box.

VALVe has hardly done anything with the PS3, they let EA port The Orange Box to the PS3, they didn't do anything with it except for a quick fix update when everyone was complaining about server issues. They can't expect to be PS3 Mastahs overnight, and it's silly to expect them to either. If they don't want to work with the PS3, then fine, don't work with it. But if they do, they're going to have to put some effort and work into it. Just like, you know, every single thing they did before. Their PR with this whole PS3 thing is a mess, I think.

 

[C0nn0r666]

awww i was really hoping he would talk about DLC on TF2 for 360...oh whatever at least we might see portal2 in a couple of years

 

[Jumplion]

You know what......they have one more year. That's all I'll give them. If it's not out my 9/9/2010 I'm completely done investing money into them. This is just insane, to be waiting this long for not a game but an EPISODE for a game. So yeah, I'm not buying a goddamn thing from them until HL2:E3 comes out, and if it's not out in a year I'm completely done with them.


I'll just read some crappy fan-fiction account of what happens and that'll have to do.

Or you can stop whineing and let them work longer so it's actually good? No one appreciates what developers do anymore. Here's a challenge for you: Make a game series, and when your making the 5th game, it has to pass all expectations and be better than the others, but the others have to be extremely good too. You also have to make other big series before you make the 5th. And work on the projects, usually at the same time.

Yes, but it's an episode of a game. At some point in development, you have to think "Are we making HL2: Ep 3? Or just HL3?" We want VALVe to take their time, yes, but not too long. Can't be too short, like L4D2, and can't be too long like HL2: Ep 3. It has to be just right! Like The Orange Box with their sporadic updates.

 

[Jumplion]

So what if it's an episode? They are adding sign language to the game, and doing other things with it. Would you rather have a quickly thrown together, bland, boring game, or wait a while to get a good game?

Be that as it may, an episode of a game usually comes out a few months continually. For all we know, the way they develop their games is doing stuff on Monday, then taking the week off. We want them to make a great game, yes, but much like Duke Nukem Forever, as awesome as it is on release, the journey doesn't make it any sweeter if that makes any sense whatsoever.